This street has been known since the 16th century, when the road from the Kremlin to the Novodevichy Convent passed through this place. Prechistenka received its current name in the middle of the 17th century in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Most Pure Mother of God, which was located in this particular monastery.

In the 17th century, Streltsy orders were located on both sides of the street, and the names of their commanders gave names to nearby objects - Levshinsky lanes, Zubovskaya Square and Boulevard. But the lanes adjacent to Prechistenka (for example, Eropkinsky and Lopukhinsky) received their names from noble families who settled on this street.

The street itself changed its name many times — it was Chertolskaya, Pokrovskaya, and Kropotkinskaya. Finally, in 1994, after all the transformations, it was returned to its historical name.

The street has a strong connection to literature. Bulgakov lodged his professor Preobrazhensky, the hero of the story “Heart of a Dog”, in house number 24. Prechistenka was mentioned in their works by many writers, including Pushkin and Pasternak.